AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Were they going to shoot at us?
No, they were with us, I realized, mostly because Michael threw me into the vehicle behind them.
“Tito, grab Justin. He’s running over there.”
“Got it!” the one who had called him boss shouted as he sprang into motion. “I’ll meet you.”
“No. This whole thing went fubar. Get to Germany. Meet me there. Don’t get caught in Russia. He’s fucked up right now. Shaw, go with him.”
Our car took off, squealing into motion that slammed me into the seat behind me. There had been three of them—three bodyguards. Now only Michael, a man I didn’t know, and I remained.
“Let me look at that,” the unknown man said to Michael. “Now.”
Michael shook his head, glancing out the window instead.
The man insisted, “You’re bleeding. You’ve been shot. Don’t shrug it off. Let me look at it.”
“Stephen, the day you become a medic, I’ll let you look at my shoulder. Until then, leave me alone.”
His words snapped me out of my stupor, as I realized what they meant. I reached for his arm, tugging. “You’re shot? What? Where?”
He grabbed my arm. “Trust me. Leave it alone. If I need help, I’ll ask for it.”
“He won’t.” Stephen sat back in his seat. “He’ll bleed to death or go septic before he asks for help. He might say ouch.”
“What happened? I don’t understand.” And clearly Michael wasn’t going to clear things up.He just got shot helping me.At the very least, he should put pressure on his wound, according to late- night television. They were always putting pressure on wounds or whatever.
I grabbed my shirt and tore the sleeve as Michael explained, “Well, basically, Konstantin and his father took out the head of the Bratva and his guards. Your father and Justin ran for their lives. I’m trying to save Justin because I’ve known him since he was a kid. Although I’m doing my best, I came for you first. I thought we could pull off the marriage scheme and walk you out.” He smirked at me. “But you’re a terrible liar.”
I couldn’t argue the fact, so I simply agreed. “Always have been.” I grabbed my torn shirt and pressed down on his shoulder, wishing I could so easily tamp down on my fears.
“Fuck!” He batted my hand away. “What are you doing? Unless you suddenly have a degree in medicine, keep your hands away from my open wound and stop poking at me.” His eyes softened. “Although I appreciate the thought. Is that why you tore your shirt?”
Stephen laughed. “Why did you think she was doing it?”
The car sped around the corner, and it dawned on me there was another person with us.The driver. Wow. I am really out of it.Completely and totally not tracking conversations or paying attention to things.
“Fashion?” Michael shrugged and winced.
I noticed my hand shaking and thought about what it meant. Finally, I said, “I’m in shock. I think.”
“Hmm, I wonder why?” Stephen scooted over. “You are kind of pale.”
“Paler than usual.” Michael leaned me forward. “Look at me, Bridget. Does anything hurt?” He started patting me down with his good arm. “She’s not shot. What were you doing before I got there?” He shook me slightly.
Took me a second to realize the second part of the statement was for me to answer. “Waiting for photos. Taking pictures. Drinking coffee.”
He sucked in an audible breath. “They drugged you, probably trying to make you compliant. It’s an old trick. You’re not in shock; you’re just loopy. It’ll pass. They likely used valium or something like it, and your eyes don’t look too messed up. I’m guessing, but experience tells me valium.” He tugged me against him with his good arm. “Lean on me. You’re not in shock, but I think you’re going to feel out of it for a while.”
“I don’t like it.” An understatement, but it was all I could manage. “Did you get shot because I was out of it?”
“No, I got shot because I was distracted. It doesn’t matter. It’s not a big deal. It will heal, and I hardly feel it.”
Stephen rolled his eyes. “For now. You’ll feel that later. You may be distracted at the moment, but it’s going to catch up to you. I can tell how out of it you are, Michael.”
He was being sarcastic…wasn’t he? I searched his face, but no tell seemed obvious to me. “What am I missing?”
“Nothing. Just relax.” Michael shifted slightly, but he didn’t cringe in pain. “Don’t worry about it. We just saw a coup, and we’re not going to be allowed to live if we don’t make it out of here tonight. Too many alliances rely on them not being able to pin this job on anyone, so they’re not going to want anyone to know what they did. We have to get out of herenow. Can we even get out the way we came in?”
